Interactive demonstrations like paint throwing helped participants in the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Center safety retreat held on Sept. 20 understand first-hand the protective capabilities of gear like safety glasses in an emergency.

Safety stand down and retreat

Article by Karen B. Roberts Photos by Evan Krape September 26, 2023

Hands-on activities help UD Ammon Pinizzotto Center tenants keep safety top of mind

Tenants of the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center paused their regularly scheduled workday from noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, for a brief refresher on ways they can promote or generate a safety culture on campus.

No, it isn’t National Safety Month. That event is celebrated annually in June.

The effort, held outside in the green space behind the Biopharma Center, was part of a building-wide safety retreat coordinated by Kelvin Lee, director of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), in collaboration with the University of Delaware’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). It included 11 different stations and hands-on activities relevant to safety around the home and the workplace — from a lab scenario station where participants were tasked with identifying different types of infractions, to learning what to do in an active shooter situation, seeing how UDPD dogs work to find explosives, learning how to extinguish a live fire in a fire pan, and understanding how to use automated defibrillators for CPR.

Each safety station focused on a different activity, allowing faculty, students and staff who work in the building to review a variety of scenarios from laboratory safety procedures, including how to use automated defibrillators for CPR, and what to do in an active shooter situation.

No one was permitted in the building during the stand down, except in spaces designated for safety training activities.

“It’s amazing to see the diversity and breadth of the research community in the building, including faculty, come together to support each other and be part of such an event,” said Lee, who also serves as UD’s interim vice president for research, scholarship and innovation.

A picnic lunch, UDairy ice cream and door prizes, along with light winds and abundant sunshine, made it a beautiful day to be locked out of the lab.

Barbra Ferrell, lab manager of the viral ecology lab located in the Delaware Biotechnology Institute on the third floor, expressed gratitude for the ability to spend concentrated time proactively thinking about safety. She also considered it a useful introduction to EHS and UD police for graduate students working in the building.

“It can feel intimidating to think about safety officials at a university of this size,” said Ferrell. “It was nice to see students talking to EHS staff, connecting faces to the names they see on emails. I think it makes it less daunting to reach out with a question or a problem after you have had ice cream with someone at an event like this.”

UD President Dennis Assanis and First Lady Eleni Assanis heard from members of the Environmental Health and Safety unit during the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Center safety retreat held on Sept. 20.

“It’s definitely something to pay attention to,” said Ganesa.

Vijaydev Ganesa, a chemical engineering doctoral candidate studying small molecules for metabolic engineering, found the lab inspection procedures and common safety mistakes, such as tips for disposing of expired chemicals or properly bottle labeling, particularly helpful.

Even UD President Dennis Assanis and First Lady Eleni Assanis took time out of their busy day to join in the event, visiting multiple stations, talking with EHS staff, even showing off their fire extinguisher skills.

Knowing how to use a fire extinguisher is an important skill. Tenants of the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Center got a refresher during the Safety Retreat held on the University of Delaware STAR Campus on Sept. 20.

Addressing the more than 300 tenants in attendance, Assanis reiterated how important safety is at UD.

“It’s on us, not someone else, to adopt the proper practices to protect ourselves and our community. Not just for our own safety, but the safety of others,” Assanis said. “There are so many young people here, and I’m excited to see the community of the Ammon Pinizzotto Center setting an example for the entire campus.”

According to EHS Director Krista Murray, the annual event’s success has inspired EHS to provide periodic safety pop-up events at various research locations throughout campus.

“It’s an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to meet EHS in a casual setting, ask questions and learn something about the safety topics being discussed that day,” said Murray.

EHS pop-ups are advertised via the department’s social media accounts and Chemical Safety Moment flyers, by host departments and campus safety committees.